Hundreds of protesters joined together outside Chicago's Whitney Young Magnet High School on Saturday evening, urging the city to defund the Chicago Police Department.
Members of activists groups including Black Lives Matter, Good Kids Mad City, and BYP100 were just some of those who joined forces and shared their personal stories of pain.
Activists say their experiences show why Chicago needs change.
"They are looking for me while I'm minding my business, they are looking for me while I'm in the grocery store," one activist said, referring to police officers. "So you know they are looking for me when I'm at something like this."
The council at Whitney Young High School - the site of the protest - recently voted to keep Chicago Police Department officers present at the school.
Several students took part in the protest, saying they felt their voices on the topic were ignored.
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"Students were begging," one protester told NBC 5. "Every single student said remove SROs, remove SROs, remove SROs, remove SROs."
The goal of Saturday night's rally, organizers said, was to persuade the city to spend less money in the police department and spend more in neighborhoods.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said she supports police reform, however the city won't defund it's police force.
